House tour, courtesy of a toddler

2 Comments

So James let Henry have a turn with the camera the other day.  The nice camera.  Now the kid is obsessed with “hitting the button.”  He tries to look through the viewfinder, but I’m not sure what he can actually see.  It’s pretty cute.  It would be even better if I wasn’t worried about him breaking the nice camera.

Yesterday he was insistent on more camera time.  After I had about 50 shots of the same thing, I decided to put him to work on a house tour we could share.  (A “keeping it real” tour though.  Nothing was cleaned so you would have the authentic experience.)  So without further adieu, the unedited work of my two year old:

This is our view when you walk in the front door.  The doors straight ahead lead to the balcony shown here.  Once the rest of our stuff arrives (our place is partially furnished), we’ll have a piece of furniture to collect purses, bags, and change.  For now all of that is going to the two desks on the left that I hope will be an office nook eventually.  I haven’t wanted to set it up yet because workers are coming Monday to bash in the wall in an attempt to fix water damage in the unit below.  The joys of apartment living!

DSC_0472DSC_0471

On the other side of the rando column, we have the connected living and dining room.  We do most of our eating in the kitchen so the dining room table is pushed to the wall.  I have done much furniture rearranging in this area.  Toddler-height photos may not do it justice, but note that there are really tall ceilings here.  Like 13 feet.  You know, in case we ever want that indoor trampoline.  (No one tell Henry about trampolines.)

DSC_0464 DSC_0476

Then we have the hallway.  This slick marble floor is ideal for Thomas the Train riding, car zooming, and dangerous falls.  Not shown, but we have two closets off this hall.  One is sort of a linen closet.  The other used to be the laundry room, but is now a walk-in storage area.  They turned the third bathroom into the laundry room.  James was bummed.  I say yay for one less toilet to worry about needing cleaning!  There are also two built-in wardrobes.

DSC_0483

Here is Bathroom #1.  First door on the left.  The shower is oh, so European.  And currently housing a vacuum cleaner.  Because why not.

DSC_0490

Down the hall, we have the kitchen wing.  It consists of random entryway, laundry room (which has a shower because of former bathroom fame), and then the fairly spacious kitchen.

DSC_0495

Here are two shots of the kitchen.  Besides child containment, it is nice to be able to close it off because of the heat.  We have an overhead fan, but that makes the burners flicker when you are actively cooking.  And we have a dishwasher!  This was an unexpected bonus, based on previous pics.  No garbage disposal and the shallowness of the sink generally soaks you when washing dishes, but I’d say a pretty decent kitchen.

DSC_0504 DSC_0499

Here’s Henry’s room.  (Mac’s room not pictured because he was sleeping at the time.)  This is the smallest bedroom.  I’m hoping that this may be the guest room if the boys are ever able to share.  Although guests–consider yourselves warned–this room does not have an overhead fan.  We’re currently borrowing a neighbor’s fan while we work on a solution. [UPDATE: ceiling fan installed!]

DSC_0506

Here’s my room.  I know you can’t see much other than an unmade queen bed, but it has room for dressers and his/hers nightstands complete with lamps.  I gotta say, these feel like a luxury!

DSC_0510

And here’s our budding photographer in the most used bathroom.  On the left you can see the tub which has this weird accordion thing that you have to very carefully position to block water when you are showering.  But the bathroom has good storage, good water pressure, and very hot water (most of the time) so not complaining.

Don't mind me . . . just brushing my hair

Don’t mind me . . . just brushing my hair

I’m sure I’ll talk more on this later, but I really like it.  It felt like there was too much furniture before, but now things are redistributed, and it just feels like a lot of storage.  Which is great because I’m not sure where everything will go when the rest of our stuff shows up.

Single floor living is awesome with littles.  I don’t have to lug kids up and down stairs.  I don’t have to run up and down to check on them at nap time.  I don’t worry as much about Henry on his own.  I can generally hear him at most places wherever I am even if he isn’t in sight.

Single floor living is also awesome for laundry.  All three bedrooms are within 15 feet of the laundry room.  No more carting loads up and down two flights of stairs.  Given how much laundry there is, I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic this is.

I really like most of the use of space.  I’d call it open living with optional partitions.  The main area is nice and open, but I can close it off.  As I mentioned, I can close off the kitchen area.  Doors don’t mean much to Henry anymore, but I like having the option.  I might mind the placement of the kitchen if it wasn’t for the table back there.  But now it is really easy to cook and talk to Henry at the table.

And that’s our home. I’ll update again when the rest of our stuff arrives.  Henry was already asking to use the camera again . . .

Mac is 4 months

6 Comments

Dear Mac,

Happy 4 months old!  (Just a few days late.)  It feels as though you hit this milestone awhile ago, mostly because you had your 4 month pediatrician checkup over two weeks early and I’ve been telling everyone you are “almost 4 months” for probably the last month.  But now you can really own it.

Wut up

You are huge.  And oh, so squishy.  Even though you were measured two weeks early, you still hit 99th percentile on height.  You are wearing clothes labeled for six months all the way up to one year.  When you sit on my lap, it seems that more of you hangs off than on.  You have go-go-Gadget monkey arms that lately you are deploying to reach stuff I didn’t think you could.  Like my glasses.  And that butter knife on the table.

Monkey arm in action

You are so sweet, tolerant, and patient.  You usually calmly wait for the rest of us when we eat our meals.  You are accepting of your brother’s hugs, kisses, mano holdings, and tackles.  You are quick to smile, and I’m hearing more laughs these days.

Lately, you love being upright, whether being held, in your Bumbo, or in the Exersaucer you recently started dabbling with.  Your hand control is improving by the day.  You can now grab, deliberately it seems, toys and your chupito (pacifier).  And those elusive feet have also succumbed to your grasp.

Still working on sitting

You are eating 5-6 times a day.  I’d love for you to drop your pre-dawn meal, but, after stalling out for a bit, you seem to be making strides on sleep.  One day this week we didn’t hear a peep out of you until 700!  But usually we hear from you between 4 and 5.  You are a pro at your morning nap, and although you aren’t doing it today, you have been making progress on a two-hour afternoon nap, that blessedly aligns with your brother’s.

I love that you are growing and becoming more aware.  I just wish you weren’t doing it so fast!

Love, Mom

Beautimous Balconies

2 Comments

For being a mega huge city, Rome is surprisingly green.  Some of that is because of things like a good plant climate and really rich people who had enormous estates that are now parks.

But I have really been impressed by how much green the Romans squeeze into the cityscape.  They put trees and bushes between buildings.  Generally all the balconies are chock-full of plants.  Very beautimous, as my grandmother would say.

Here are few examples.  I can’t say these are the most beautimous or best in the city but they show a pretty representative sample of what I can see near our apartment. 

Here, I love the plants that “flow down” (I’m sure there is a more technical term) on this one.

IMG_20140904_131424

These you can see from our local playground.  The windows look boarded up but those are just the Roman shades.  I’ll post more on them later.  They are pretty cool.

IMG_20140902_163834  IMG_20140902_163820

Note the built-in window boxes.

IMG_20140904_131410

And here is our little balcony.  Not the absolute worst, but we could definitely step it up in the greenery department.  I’m sure James will get on that next spring. 

IMG_20140904_131439

Maybe other cities to take a page from Rome on this?  According to an interesting trend report of the 2015 Ikea catalog, “In less than 20 years, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities.”  It seems there are straightforward steps you could take, like adding balconies and window boxes to new buildings.  The mentality here that you should take the time to add and care for plants would be trickier to duplicate.

I find it interesting that, although there are scores of lovely balconies, I see very few people actually enjoying them.  At least so far.  This surprised me.  I thought there would be lots of people out enjoying a glass of vino.  Last night though I heard laughter around 10:00 pm.  Now that people are back from their August vacations, I’ll have to pay more attention.  Or maybe I’ve just been looking at the wrong time of day.

Weekend Recap

2 Comments

Happy September, ya’ll!  The long weekend was much appreciated as we continue to settle in.

Saturday

We went to the pool at the Ambassador’s residence.  You have to request a spot in advance and this was the last weekend it was available so I was glad to get in.

The pool was surprisingly cold considering it was about 90 degrees out.  I think this was, in part, because the pool was so deep.  The shallow end was around 5′ and it dropped off pretty quickly.  Pool is always more challenging now that it is man-to-man with no breaks, but Henry had a great time.  We really need to work on some kind of swim classes for him.  Because of the depth, I spent most of the time bobbing with Mac over on the steps.

The grounds were beautiful.  Looking forward to returning for parties.

Take out pizza for lunch that was pretty tasty.

Sunday

In the morning we went on an epic walk.  Down to the top of the Spanish steps, to an overlook of Piazza del Popolo, and back through the Villa Borghese park.  Apparently it was only about three miles, but it felt much longer given the stroller and toddler detours.

Overlook – James says it is a famous one.  Probably has a name that I forgot.

Sunday evening we returned to Ristorante Rossini.  The experience was only so-so, mostly because of limited kid cooperation.  James had spaghetti amatriciana.  I had a salad with bresaola, after I majorly hosed the pronunciation of it.  We had a prosciutto and fig starter.  Henry is pretty obsessed with cured meats now.

Monday

It rained most of the day and was colder so we stayed indoors.  James did venture out for a trip to the grocery store where he was yelled at for trying to use a seat-less stroller as a grocery cart in the store.  We went on a walk in the evening, but cut it short because of more rain.  After the kids were asleep, we did watch a little of Veep Season 3.  Definitely enjoying it so far.  I keep waiting for it to get over-the-top cringy where I feel bad (think British Office), but not yet.

Learn Italian. I’m on it.

1 Comment

I had one of those experiences at the grocery store today that is re-motivating me to work on my (currently very limited) Italian.  It started in produce.  I grabbed a cantaloupe because I picked up some prosciutto earlier in the week and thought we’d enjoy them together.  How Italian!

I weighed the melon and got a sticker.  This is a big difference between European (at least German and Italian) grocery stores and those back home.  I learned this the hard way, my first trip to a Germany grocery store when the clerk yelled at me for not doing it.  Even though that was over 10 years ago, I have since been hyper-vigilant on always weighing my produce.

We make it to check out.  Henry refuses to relinquish the melon.  No biggie.  I peel it off and hand the guy the sticker.  But I can tell right away there is an issue.  He tells me it is the wrong sticker.  This is for the bigger melon, not the little one.  He says he’ll wait while I go fix it.

Everything the clerk said was in Italian.  I may have missed some nuances, but I’m pretty sure I got it.  Context clues helped greatly on this one.  But I am hopeful that comprehension is not completely hopeless.

But I couldn’t think of a single word in Italian to respond.  Some of it was the “deer in headlights” aspect of it.  But a lot of it was just my lack of Italian.  I have thought of a few things to say after the fact, but not too many.

I’m not beating myself up over it, but I’d like to do better next time.  And so back to Duolingo I go.  And then other Italian courses.  And hopefully lining up a tutor before too long.  Italian language prep fell by the wayside around the time Mac was born.  Now, I’m on it.

And on the 7th day there was internet

Leave a comment

And it was good.  This was an unexpected plus.  We were scheduled for install next Tuesday, but the guy called because he happened to be in the neighborhood today.  Score!  This is not something I thought would happen here.  It definitely came in handy when we indulged in a few youtube videos right before James got home.  Henry is growing fond of Winnie the “Poop.”

We also received our air freight shipment today.  (The 700 lbs mentioned here.)  We had a 1-2 week window so this was also prompt.  Henry was so excited to see his toys that we didn’t make it outside this afternoon.  James is incredibly excited about the arrival of the mattress topper and nice sheets.  A bottle of Dreft exploded, but not too many casualties found as of yet.

So still need to get an Italian bank account, cell phones, and many other things.  But progress has been made.  And I’ll drink to that.  (Chianti from the fancy wine store this evening.)  W00t!

Out and about town . . . by myself . . . with kids!

Leave a comment

So I’ve made it to James’s work 2x now, once by myself!  Observations in no particular order:

  • Stroller = woof.  I’ve seen a few, but there are not many about.  After bumping up and down 50 curbs per trip, I will have the upper body of a body builder before we leave.
  • It would really suck to be handicapped here.
  • People here look really put together.  Generally nice solid pieces with a deliberate accessory.
  • Some of the outfits are pretty wild though.
  • Men do not seem to wear hats.  James is accustomed to wearing a baseball cap daily.  He wanted to find a trendier, Italian equivalent.  But based on preliminary observation, Italian men do not wear hats.
  • Henry’s most often said word is now “moto.”
  • Many Italians pass us by without a glance, but many other are excited to see the bambini.  I’ve heard that Italians really love blonde children.
  • I still heart gelato.
  • Everyone keeps saying to just wait until the whole city returns in September.  So far it has been very manageable.  I guess we’ll see . . .
  • Hope for the best, prepare for the worst has paid off.  It looks like our air freight will be here one week after our departure.  Our internet should be set up less than a week after the request.  And we have temporary internet and a cell phone; both an unexpected and welcome bonus.

At home:

  • The kids are still messed up from jet lag.
  • We had our first meal out at Taverna Rossini.  Henry, for no apparent reason, received his own ball of dough that the waiter was keen to see him react to.
  • I’m continuing to rearrange the furniture.  Unpacking continues.
  • I need to do more grocery shopping.
  • I’ll be happier when I’m a little more well-rested.  Mac is getting up at least 3x/night.  This wouldn’t be so bad, but it takes me forever to fall back asleep.

Goals for the coming week:

  • See a traditional Italian sight.
  • Run at least once next week.
  • Finish unpacking.

Everything is awesome!

Leave a comment

While not sleeping on the plane, I did have a chance to catch up on some movies I’ve missed.  I watched Divergent, after just finishing the book last month.  I thought it did a good job.  And the guy is hot.

I also watched the Lego Movie.  I wasn’t as blown away, but it was cute.  And everything is awesome is crazy catchy.  I defy you to watch this and not get it stuck in your head for hours.

But—other than jet lag—things are pretty awesome here!  It does not feel real.  We were fairly quiet on the drive from the airport, just soaking it in.  Different trees.  Ruins.  Rome.

I love our place, and I think we will be happy here.  The location seems great.  We have good space.  Good water pressure.  The welcome kit is amazing.  We heard horror stories of only receiving three plates, a mug, and sandpaper sheets.  But we have sheets, towels, and an almost fully-stocked kitchen.  There are even carpets we didn’t know about.

If anything, there is too much here.  I wish we had packed less.  When our sea freight gets here (in October?), things could get interesting.  This is small, but no garbage disposal.  I need to figure out how this works.  Obviously no chunks of food, but is it going to back up if wash sauce on plates down the drain?

Jet lag with kids is no joke.  After we arrived at our place, around 1100 local, we all ended up crashing for several hours.  Everyone went to bed on time, but both kids were up a few hours later.  After several fruitless attempts to induce more sleep, I gave up and hung out with them a few hours, before putting them back to bed.

Nap times were more on schedule today.  I am cautiously optimistic that we’ll be close to normal in a few days.

Our awesome sponsor did some initial grocery shopping.  We did a little more, at the conveniently located supermarket a few blocks away, and—other than our gelato—have been eating at home.  First trip to a restaurant could be tomorrow.

I am trying to remember that all things take time.  We did just get here.  Eventually, our things will be unpacked.  I’ll lose some more baby weight.  Italian women seem impossibly thin.  So far, I’ve seen moms in backless tops and shorty shorts.  And I’ll work on Italian.  In my sleep deprived haze, these things just seem impossible.

But things are gorgeous.  Right now, all of the flora-filled balconies are enchanting.  I’m really excited.  Even if it doesn’t feel real yet, this feels good.

Non-seq:  Just finished Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowlings second Cormoran Strike mystery.  Loved it.  Not sure why I am only just now realizing that I really like mysteries.

Tips on air travel with 2 kids

1 Comment

Work harder to get an infant bassinet.  That’s all I got.

 In Little Mister’s defense, he did try.  It seems he reached the most unhelpful airline employee ever who told him that bassinets are first come, first served.  The employee neglected to mention that bassinets only fit with the bulkhead seats.  Some comfort that bulkhead seats were already gone by the time he asked.

 So I held Mac.  Pretty much all the way across the Atlantic.  I thought he might sit in his carrier (Lillebaby – like a Bjorn), to at least leave my arms free, but he rejected it. 

 James had the less arm-taxing, but more unpredictable task of keeping Henry from sliding off the seats.  We had the whole middle of the plane—four seats across—and, after Henry was pried away from the in-flight entertainment (he watched the new Muppets movie), he slept well on the plane, lying down in the middle two seats.  James also navigated the in-flight meal service with Henry and the bathroom changing tables with Mac.

 All in all, it was much better than expected.  We got a few comments after the flight that the kids were “sooo good.”  I was grateful that we were not “those people with the screaming children on the plane.”  Note to self:  business plan where you escort people’s children on planes and they can sit somewhere else and pretend not to know you.

 So James and I did not sleep.  But we made it.  We successfully navigated Customs.  All our luggage was there.  We were able to fit our luggage on two carts.  And I was beyond relieved when we made it out and our sponsor was waiting with a (car-seat equipped!)  van to whisk us to our new home.

The Fanciest Pajamas in the Land

3 Comments

I did something I swore I would not do.  I bought pants.  Pants of a more “relaxed” nature.

You see, last pregnancy around, I swore I would not buy new clothes.  I would fit into my old clothes or else goshdarnit.  Even if it meant wearing my maternity pants for 5 months straight and then uncomfortably squeezing into my “real” pants.  So that’s what I did.

Fast forward to post-second pregnancy.  I am so sick of maternity pants.  Full panels are hot.  It is hot outside.  Thankfully weight has come off.  But if I’m going to make it back sooner rather than later, I’m going to have to put down the ice cream.  And I really don’t want to.  It is hot outside.

I’ve also been feeling wardrobe deprived.  I went with a pretty hyper-minimalist approach on pregnancy clothing.  This is an exaggeration, but I feel like I could count on both hands and a foot the number of things I bought.  This means I feel like I haven’t bought new clothes in forever.  I’ve been reading a lot of AintNoMomJeans (recently rebranded TheMomEdit).  I love her style.  It made me miss clothes.  I have about 50 shopping tabs open that are making my computer impossible to restart.

So I took a baby step.  An inexpensive baby step.  I have been buying less Old Navy these days on my quest for quality over quantity.  But it seemed like a good place to go for low commitment.  I bought these pants.  And these.  And I’ve been rocking the harem ever since.  They fit into my favorite uniform of white shirt + loud pants.

They are outrageously comfortable.  The lightweight fabric has made them nice for the summer.  But I do worry that they are a bit too pajama-like to be socially acceptable.  But at least James–who is not known for being a fashion risk-taker–is on board.  When asked for the umpteenth time whether the pants looked ok, whether they looked like pajamas, he responded:  “No.  But if they are pajamas, they are the fanciest in the land.”

I’m still hoping to regain access to my previous wardrobe.  But until then #FancyPajamasFTW.